Georgia won’t issue an oversize or overweight permit until your insurance certificate is on file with the Oversize Permit Unit of the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS). For a new carrier, that makes the certificate the first hurdle. Two lines on it cause the delays Permigo sees: the certificate holder, and the dates on the automobile liability line.
The short version
Georgia’s Rule 672-2-.03(e) makes the certificate a condition of the permit. DPS, not the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), has run the Oversize Permit Unit since February 16, 2017. The certificates Permigo sends name the holder as Georgia Department of Public Safety, Attn: Oversize Permit Unit, 959 E United Ave, Atlanta, GA 30316. The automobile liability line must show the policy number with its effective and expiration dates. Permigo read Georgia’s documents on October 12, 2026.
Georgia’s size limits, escorts and travel hours are on the Georgia page.
What the certificate is
A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary of your policy. Your insurance agent issues it, usually on the ACORD 25, the insurance industry’s standard certificate form. It names your company as the insured and lists each policy with its number and dates. It also names a certificate holder, the party it is made out to. For a Georgia oversize permit, that is the Department of Public Safety’s Oversize Permit Unit.
The certificate must be in the name of the company the permit is issued to: the company responsible for the haul, even if someone else owns the load. DPS’s insurance notice says it should match the company on the side of the truck. A trade name may be listed as “a.k.a.” (also known as) or “d.b.a.” (doing business as). The rule makes no exception for carriers based outside Georgia.
The certificate stays on file, and the coverage must last as long as the permit does. For an annual permit, DPS’s Permit Types page says the insurance must be on file for the permit’s whole term. Each single-trip order repeats the policy details.
Who the certificate holder must be
The certificates Permigo sends to Georgia read:
Georgia Department of Public Safety
Attn: Oversize Permit Unit
959 E United Ave
Atlanta, GA 30316
That street address is DPS’s headquarters, which its 2026 forms write as 959 United Avenue S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316. In Permigo’s experience, a certificate made out any other way holds up the first permit until a corrected one arrives. Georgia’s own documents show two older versions.
The first names the Department of Transportation. GDOT ran the unit until February 16, 2017, when DPS took it over. GDOT’s 2010 annual permit form says the ACORD form must be on file with the Georgia Department of Transportation. DPS’s own Guidelines page says the certificate must show the Department of Transportation as the holder.
The second uses the street’s old name. DPS’s insurance notice gives 959 East Confederate Ave. Atlanta renamed the street United Avenue S.E. in October 2018.
What the automobile liability line must show
DPS’s insurance notice says the certificate must be marked for automobile liability, and that “a policy number and effective dates must be included.” The unit’s sample certificate puts all three on that line: the policy number, the effective date and the expiration date.
The same sample marks general liability “We do not accept.” The notice also says general liability must be maintained, but the line the certificate is read on is automobile liability, so a certificate showing general liability alone won’t get a permit issued. A binder isn’t enough either. That’s the temporary proof of coverage an agent gives before the policy is issued.
The expiration date tells the unit when the coverage on file runs out, and the rule wants coverage for as long as the permit lasts.
How much insurance Georgia requires
Georgia’s rule sets the minimums by the vehicle’s gross weight. For annual permits, DPS’s Permit Types page asks for $1 million of automobile liability as a combined single limit: one amount that covers bodily injury and property damage together.
| Who | Bodily injury | Property damage |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles over 10,000 lb gross | $300,000 per person, $1,000,000 per occurrence | $1,000,000 per occurrence |
| Vehicles of 10,000 lb gross or less | $50,000 per person, per occurrence | $50,000 per occurrence |
| Annual permit holders | $1 million automobile liability, one combined single limit covering both | |
The unit’s sample certificate shows a $1,000,000 combined single limit. DPS’s Guidelines page lists lower, older figures for annual permits, such as $300,000 for each accident. The rule, last amended in 2017, sets the first two rows. For a load over 500,000 lb, GDOT’s 2016 mega load procedure, which DPS posts, adds a $500,000 performance bond against damage to roads and bridges.
GDOT or DPS: who runs Georgia’s permit office
DPS does, since February 16, 2017. Many of the documents a carrier finds say otherwise.
| Item | Older documents | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the Oversize Permit Unit | GDOT | DPS, since February 16, 2017 |
| Certificate holder | Georgia Department of Transportation | Georgia Department of Public Safety, Oversize Permit Unit |
| Street address | 959 East Confederate Ave | 959 United Avenue S.E., renamed in October 2018 |
| P.O. Box 1456, Atlanta, GA 30371 | The box is closed | |
| GAPROS, the online permit system | The address in the text of GDOT’s page and DPS’s Permit Types page | A new address on the unit’s page and most 2026 forms |
DPS says the Postal Service has permanently closed the location that served its P.O. Box 1456. The Oversize Permit Unit’s own page lists the box all the same.
Georgia law names GDOT too. Code Section 32-6-29 makes the Department of Transportation responsible for issuing permits, and House Bill 164 revised it in 2025 without moving the job. Rule 672-2-.09 calls the unit part of the Department of Transportation. DPS issues the permits all the same. Its name heads most of the unit’s 2026 application forms.
What Georgia asks of a new carrier
Before your first Georgia permit, the unit needs a certificate on file that shows:
- the certificate holder as above;
- automobile liability, with the policy number and its effective and expiration dates;
- limits at least Georgia’s minimums;
- your company as the insured, as it appears on the truck.
If a line is wrong, the permit waits for a corrected certificate. DPS’s permit office works weekdays only, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, so a fix sent late on a Friday waits for Monday.
Permigo handles that part. Permigo is a private permit service, not part of DPS or GDOT. Ask your insurance agent to make the certificate out to the holder above and email it to Permigo at dispatch@permigo.co. Permigo checks the holder and the dates, and puts the certificate on file with the Oversize Permit Unit. Then Permigo files your Georgia permit, for $20 per permit. Send Permigo the load’s dimensions, weights, route and date too.
Oversize Permit Unit phone, address and hours
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Insurance questions: the unit’s phone number | (404) 635-8176 |
| Phone number for size and weight permits | (844) 837-5500 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, Eastern |
| Street address | 959 United Avenue S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316 |
| P.O. Box 1456 is closed | |
| Georgia’s size limits, escorts and travel hours | The Georgia page |
| Your certificate and your permits | Permigo: +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, seven days a week, or send a message |
Common questions
Do I need a new insurance certificate for every Georgia oversize permit?
No. Georgia’s Rule 672-2-.03(e) asks for a copy of the insurance certificate before a carrier receives a permit, and for the coverage to last as long as the permit does. The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) keeps the certificate on file, and each single-trip order repeats the policy details. Neither the rule nor DPS asks for a new certificate with each permit (Permigo read both on October 12, 2026).
Who should be the certificate holder for a Georgia oversize permit?
The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Oversize Permit Unit. The certificates Permigo sends to Georgia read: Georgia Department of Public Safety, Attn: Oversize Permit Unit, 959 E United Ave, Atlanta, GA 30316. DPS’s Permit Types page names DPS as the certificate holder. Older documents name the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) instead, or give East Confederate Avenue, the street’s name before Atlanta renamed it in October 2018.
Does GDOT or DPS issue Georgia oversize permits?
The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) runs the Oversize Permit Unit that issues them. A DPS press release of February 1, 2017 moved the unit from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to DPS on February 16, 2017. Georgia’s permit statute, Rule 672-2-.09 and GDOT’s pre-2017 forms, such as its 2010 annual permit form, name GDOT, so both names turn up.
How much insurance do I need for a Georgia oversize permit?
Automobile liability, on a certificate on file with the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS). For a vehicle over 10,000 pounds gross, Georgia’s Rule 672-2-.03(e) sets bodily injury cover of $300,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence, plus $1,000,000 property damage per occurrence. DPS asks annual permit holders for $1 million as a combined single limit, as the unit’s sample certificate shows. Over 500,000 pounds, GDOT’s 2016 mega load procedure adds a performance bond against road and bridge damage. Permigo read these on October 12, 2026.
Will Georgia accept a binder or a general liability certificate?
No to both. The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s insurance notice says a binder is not sufficient. It also says the certificate must be marked for automobile liability, with the policy number and the policy dates. The unit’s sample certificate marks general liability “We do not accept.” The line the Oversize Permit Unit reads is automobile liability.
What does it cost to get the certificate on file in Georgia?
Neither Georgia’s rule nor the Department of Public Safety’s insurance notice lists a fee for putting the certificate on file (Permigo read both on October 12, 2026). Your insurance agent issues it. Permigo charges $20 per permit, and the certificate check comes with your first Georgia permit. Georgia’s own permit fee is in the cost guide.
What is the phone number for Georgia oversize permits?
The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Oversize Permit Unit prints (404) 635-8176 on its insurance notice and its 2026 permit forms. DPS gives (844) 837-5500 as its line for size and weight permits. The unit works 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, Eastern, DPS’s January 2026 notice says. Permigo checked these on October 12, 2026, and answers its own line at +1 (786) 494-6912, or through the contact page.
What is the address of Georgia’s Oversize Permit Unit?
959 United Avenue S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316, the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s headquarters, as DPS prints it on its 2026 permit forms. The certificates Permigo sends write the same address as 959 E United Ave. The street was East Confederate Avenue until Atlanta renamed it in October 2018. The Postal Service has closed the location serving DPS’s P.O. Box 1456. Permigo checked this on October 12, 2026.